


Devotees and Masquerades

by softoriginals



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F!Blue, F/M, Formalwear, M!Green, M/M, Oldrivalshipping, Secret Admirer, feelingshipping - Freeform, originalshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-09-27 01:33:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20399479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softoriginals/pseuds/softoriginals
Summary: A last minute decision has made the reluctant Green go to the Dexholder’s masquerade ball. Although, the only reason he agreed is because of the possibility of ending the stalking by his annoying secret admirer, who turns out to be a lot closer to him than he thought.





	1. Devotees and Masquerades

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic for the formal writing event held in specord, where everyone picked a dexholder (or non-dexholder) to write for in a formal setting! So, I picked Green in a masquerade ball setting. Hope you enjoy!

**Somewhere outside Pallet Town, 04:00 PM**

“Are you still not going to the masquerade ball tonight?”

Red asked the one question Green did  _ not  _ want to be asked anymore, especially not after losing a training session only by an inch. Red and his stupid surprise attacks. He should have anticipated it, and he would have if he wasn’t feeling so annoyed by everyone nagging him about the gathering.

“I’ve attended every gathering since day one,” Green replied, still heavily puffing and panting from the fight. He took a big sip of his cold water before he continued. “I can skip this one.”

“But why this one, though? It’s a special occasion, we’ve never had a gathering in the form of a ball, a masquerade even! Is that not even a  _ little  _ exciting for you?” Red pouted. He was pushing all the buttons and Green was not taking it. Just because you slap a mask on your face doesn’t make an event suddenly ten times more fun. He didn’t understand the hype at all, and he wasn’t going to bother trying.

“No.”

“Damn, what’s gotten into you? You’re gloomy today,” Red toned down a bit, now walking towards Green, still had that pouty puppy look on his face. “ There’s more, isn’t there?”

In his head, Green was tossing an imaginary coin on whether he should tell Red about his situation or not. On one hand, it would probably solve itself eventually. On the other hand, it could end tonight if he got Red to help him out and play detective for him. 

“Someone’s been anonymously texting me, begging me to go to the ball and that they want to see me there. It’s just a childish act. I never reply and delete all the texts. So if you know something about it, let me know so I can take care of it.” Green explained, brushing some imaginary dust off his shoulder while he stood up and got moving, trying to hide his embarrassed look from his best friend. “We should head back. You need to prepare for tonight and I have paperwork to take care of.”

Red’s face changed a bit. Then, he started sheepishly laughing and scratching his neck. “Sure thing. But why’d you even go as far as deleting the texts? That’s weird.”

Green shrugged, but was glad Red didn’t push any further than that, and obliged to walk with him to his home. Though, a small feeling of suspicion lingered.

\---

**Red’s house, 4:45 PM**

It took longer than expected to get to Red’s house. Of course, the dumbass had to forget his jacket and only noticed it when a cold breeze wound up. His phone vibrated a few times while he waited for Red, cooking up more pent up annoyance into the Trainer’s head. 

“Sorry about that!” Red yelled, while running back. He opened the door and bowed like a true gentleman. “Entrée.”

“Getting into the formal spirit already?” 

Green could recognize that annoying purring from miles away. Blue was sprawled out on Red’s couch, twirling her glass with berry juice and inspecting the liquid. Her eyes were squinted, probably not trusting Red’s kitchen skills.

“How’d you get in this time?” Red asked, passively annoyed. He didn’t really mind anymore. There was no stopping to Blue, anyway.

“You left your window in the bedroom open.”

“Right.” Red brought a hand to his face, then stormed to his bedroom.

Green decided to help himself and pour himself a drink like Blue did. Red wouldn’t mind, anyway. He plopped down on one of the chairs and when he looked a little closer to Blue, he spotted that she already did her make-up.  _ Why bother doing make-up if you’re wearing a mask all night?  _ He sighed. She was already hard to understand as it as, better not wonder about that too much.

“You’re still not going, I assume?” Blue asked, after taking a cautious sip. Her face was a bit scrunched up, presumably from the bad taste. Green looked at his own glass for a second, then slowly put it back on the table.

“Very well. Ten points to you.”

“No need to be a sarcastic ass about it,” Blue huffed, positioning herself upright so she could look at Green with her big, blue eyes. Then she winked, the signature ‘I’m up to something and it’s nothing good’ kind of wink. “But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t try to persuade you one more time, would I? Pretty please, go? I bet your secret admirer would be happy to see you there.”

Green flinched at the mention of them, feeling a little heat come up in his face again. He didn’t tell anyone about the admirer but Red just now, so how could she possibly know about it? Add this to the list of things Blue shouldn’t know but does anyway.

Green stood up, not willing to discuss this topic any further. He sent Blue a curt nod. “I’m leaving. I have some paperwork left to do.”

“You’re such a killjoy,” Blue pouted, but then smiled, a hint of sincerity breaking through. “I do hope to see you tonight, though!”

“Whatever.”

\---

**Viridian City, 5:30 PM**

The only sound that could be heard in the Viridian Gym was Green stacking up some paperwork to take back to his apartment. When he was nearly done, he noticed an odd little package at the corner of his workspace. A note was attached to it. His eyes scanned the writing, and quickly concluded that it was Yellow’s.

_ I noticed you’ve been getting busier lately, so I made lunch for you! Though you’re probably gonna see this late, so there’s plenty to make it also kind of a dinner. I heard you weren’t going to be there tonight, but I hope that’s not true. It’s not the same if we’re only missing you. Anyway, I should get going. See you!  _

There was a little sketch of her sticking her thumbs up beneath the text. A small smile tugged at his lips. They all really wanted him to go that badly, huh. He carefully unpacked the package, revealing his dinner for the night. His stomach started growling immediately when he got the first sniff of the delicious smell, making Green realize that he was a lot hungrier than he thought and silently blessed Yellow for her kindness. He checked his phone, taking in a deep breath when he saw all the new messages from the unknown number and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Time to go home.

Random thoughts flew through his head on his way to his apartment. He really wasn’t planning on going, but would this nonsense stop if he actually went? It was likely, he had to admit. The idea of just giving in and hoping that it’d stop after because he obeyed started to become a little appealing, plus he’d find out who it was. 

It would probably be enough of he just stopped by for like an hour and said hi to everyone, right? As much as he just wanted to lay on his couch with his paperwork and a glass of fine whiskey, Green knew he had to take matters into his own hands in this case.

Once he arrived home, he wolfed down his meal at record speed, constantly glancing at the clock as if it was his biggest threat. At this point, he had one hour left to get his shit (meaning: hair) together, dig up his suit from the depths of his closet, actually get a mask from Arceus knows where and take a shower. Even though he decided that he wanted to go pretty late, punctuality was key and he was _ not  _ going to stray from that. 

So, when Green was done frantically throwing his dishes in the dishwasher, he didn’t know if he had to be creeped out or thanking the gods when he arrived in his bedroom, where his suit and mask were waiting to be picked up from his closet. The answer landed on ‘creeped out’ when he noticed the piece of paper stuck to the cover of his suit. 

_ I figured you might decide to go last minute, so I got everything ready for you.  _

It wasn’t signed, just like all the text messages Green was receiving from the anonymous number. He couldn’t recognize the handwriting either. For now, he brushed it off and was a tiny bit thankful for his admirer, untying the pine-colored masquerade mask that was bound to the hanger of his suit. It was covered in golden swirls, which came together in the middle to form the Viridian Gym badge. It wasn’t necessarily his style, but then again, a masquerade ball in general wasn’t his style.

With one last glance to the clock, he went to get himself ready.

\---

**Celadon Hotel, 7:00 PM**

_ Right on time _ , Green grinned as he stepped outside of his cab. However, the paparazzi blinded him immediately. He knew there were probably going to be some photographers here and there, but he was surprised that there were that many trying to get a piece of every single step they were going to take. Although, he shouldn’t be  _ that _ surprised: there were famous coördinators, junior champions, actual champions, famous trainers and generally a lot of regional heroes amongst his fellow Dexholders. It was bound to be an event to get a lot of attention, being the biggest gathering so far with their new Alolan additions coming for the first time as well. 

“Green! Green! Look this way, please! You’re looking handsome tonight! Might wanna tell us some details?”

He definitely wasn’t a media-beast like his junior Ruby. A lot of them enjoyed the attention and would’ve spent hours on this red carpet, if not for the fact that they only got a few minutes before they were obligated to get inside. Through the flashes, he could see Y -or rather, her back- briskly walking down the carpet, donning a long, red dress. When he looked more closely, he spotted that she was dragging X along the carpet, in his… pyjamas and a sleep mask? Green made a quick note to himself to ask if he was alright once inside, since the junior champion hated all the attention. 

Green gave the photographers just about the tiniest crumbs: a few short smiles here and there, but he wouldn’t break his pace towards the entrance for a second. The Celadon Hotel was one of the fanciest buildings in Kanto, so no wonder the professors picked this as the location for the ball. The stone stairs and pillars were decorated with the most beautiful flowers, probably Erika’s work. He had to admit, even though the whole thing was over the top, it did feel a bit magical. Light bulbs hung from the ceiling everywhere at different heights, mixing in with the flowers and greenery as if they were fireflies. 

“Ah, so you made it! Looking sharp, senior!” 

Green craned his head to the side to see Gold, who had a Zorro-Esque mask on his head and wasn’t wearing a tie. The last few buttons of his golden blouse were open. The Trainer was about to give some sort of smart answer to get the Hatcher off his back, but he got distracted by the vibrating in his pocket. Curiosity beat him, as he drew out his phone.

_ I’m happy you made it. I’m wearing a white mask, try to look for me if you want to. _

Green’s eyes immediately skimmed the surrounding area, but nothing that caught his eye yet. Then, Gold popped up again right in front of his nose - with two glasses of champagne. He pressed one carefully to Green’s chest, trying not to spill. The senior put his hands up and shook his head. “No, I’m not drinking tonight.”

“C’mon, one drink isn’t going to kill ya,” Gold pressed on, a smirk forming on his lips. “This night is especially for us, so loosen up a bit.”

“I’m not getting rid of you until I accept it, am I?” Green sighed, still looking around. They ought to be here somewhere. It shouldn’t be that hard to track down a white mask between 20 other Dexholders, right? He could already cross off X and Gold, so that made the remaining 18 his suspects. He had missed Y’s mask at the entrance. Green took the glass absentmindedly. 

“What are you looking for?” it was Gold again. “You know what? Let’s have some fun, come with me.”

And he was being dragged off. This night already wasn’t going according to plan. Green just wanted to find out who the admirer was, make the stalking stop and leave again.

Just a few seconds - and sips of his champagne - later, they arrived at a table in the corner of the ballroom. Multiple of his juniors were already sitting there: Sapphire, Ruby, Black, and Silver. 

“Welcome to the adult table, minus Black!” Gold announced, stealing a chair for Green from another table. “We were planning on playing some cards later. Wanna join?”

Green was about to politely decline, when the ballroom was silenced by the sound of something tapping against a glass. The sound came from a stage, which soon became visible. The eight professors were revealed by the lights popping on. They were all lined up, in order of generation. 

“Welcome, Pokédex Holders, to our eighth gathering together.” Green’s grandfather, Professor Oak, started out. Pride was written all over his face as he looked over all his protégees who were now all gathered in front of him. Green stood between Whi-Two and Emerald. The Liberator wore a mask and dress similar to her ‘Foongus Girl’ disguise, while the Calmer had a mask made around his green gem. Neither of them was white.

Green barely noticed the speech going on with each professor speaking out a word of gratitude for them all being there, as he took advantage of this moment to look around again. He slid through the crowd a bit, updating the list of possibilities in his head while doing so. Funny enough, when Professor Kukui stopped speaking, only three suspects were left that matched the description: his very own three best friends. 

Red wore a suit similar to Green’s, but with a red bowtie. His Venetian mask was white, looking a bit like marble. It had details that made it look a bit like a Greek warrior mask, suiting his title as the Fighter.

Blue’s mask was a daring one: it seemed like she took the left half of her Masked Child’s mask. Green had to give her credit for that bold decision, overcoming her past and not being afraid to show that it had been a part of her life. Her icy-blue dress was sparkly, as if there were actual ice-shards that were on it. 

Yellow donned a simple, but still elegant white jumpsuit: probably feeling too uneasy in a dress. Her white lace mask was simple as well, duplicates of the Rainbow Wing and the Silver Wing she used to wear on her straw hat were attached to it.

Green was about to tap Red’s shoulder, determined to get his answer, but was yet again dragged off by Gold. He swore this kid was up to something, getting into his way like this.

“He who is silent is taken to agree,” Gold chirped, leading him back to the same table as before. “We’re gonna play some poker.”

The seat that had been occupied by Black was now empty. Green took the liberty of taking the seat for himself, looking around to see where his Unovan junior went. He soon spotted the poofy brown hair: he was dancing with White, their masks both glittery like stars and having a cloud pattern. It looked like she was leading him.

“Ah, young love,” Ruby commented, sitting back in his chair while he lifted his glass. “Such a beautiful thing.”

Gold picked up a small suitcase, containing the materials for the game. He set up the game, and then revealed bottle of champagne. A broad smirk formed on his face. “Time to implement some fun rules.”

\---

**Celadon Hotel, 09:00 PM**

Green’s head was starting to feel fuzzy due to these implemented rules. He couldn’t remember why he even agreed to play in the end, but he wasn’t going to quit just now. Green Oak was in it to win it and the last thing he wanted to be was a sore loser. So maybe he did enjoy playing poker, but his main objective still lingered in the back of his head. They were close to finishing it, anyway. Gold had perished to his own stupidity long ago, along with Silver who was trying hard to keep his best friend away from climbing up the vines. He shot angry glares at Sapphire, who was giving climbing advice to Gold.

The secret admirer had kept quiet after their last text when Green had arrived, until now. Ruby threw his winning cards on the table while Green’s phone vibrated again. He picked it up, concentrating hard to keep his slightly shaking hand still and read the notification.

_ Meet me at the balcony.  _

Suffice to say, his desire to end all this peaked at that moment. He stood up fast, his chair almost falling back from the impact. The sudden movement caught Gold’s attention.

“Ah, is it that time already?”

He jumped down the pillar with excitement spread over his face and took Green’s arm. “Let’s go to the balcony for the grand finale!”

For once, Green let himself get dragged without any resistance. He couldn’t help but wonder why Gold knew about all this. “Are you… in on all this? Were you supposed to keep me away from the other Kanto Dexholders all evening?”

“Shh,” Gold winked at his senior and put his pointer finger to his lips. “You’ll know everything soon enough.”

They stopped in front of the stone stairs. Mason jars with lights in them illuminated the path on each step. Gold gave Green a nod. “You got it, senior. Just go up these steps and open the door.”

And so, the Trainer obeyed. He slowly ascended the stairs, thinking so much that it made his brain hurt. Did he even want to know who was behind that door? He just wanted to stop them from annoying him all day and making him flustered, but someone he knows really well is going to be behind that door. Things might change and he wasn’t prepared for any possible outcome. Sure, he had thought about possibilities, but dating was never something he kept himself busy with, careful not to screw up the close bonds they shared. It was surreal to think that it was likely that Yellow, Red, or Blue had been behind this all along.

His hand rested on the door handle for a second. He took in a deep breath, pushed his hand down and slowly opened the door that would lead to his final answer.


	2. Equals

The afternoon breeze hit Green in his face when the door opened. The person behind it was facing him without their mask, eyes immediately interlocking. An overall determined face, but hints of nervosity broke through. Crimson eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

Red. He was facing Red, like he had faced him across a battlefield so many times. Looking at each other, hearts beating in sync while determination made them fight and test their strength. But this... this was a whole new test. A whole new battlefield. 

Green felt frozen; he felt like he couldn’t move. He had to admit that Red being the admirer came to him as a surprise, especially because it was his best friend. Out of all people, he should have noticed that it was Red. It made  _ him  _ feel like the dense one for once. Was Green even ready for their sacred friendship to change?

Red chuckled, a bit awkwardly, though. “Seems like you’re at a loss of words. I don’t exactly blame you for that.”

“Yeah.” Green could barely get his throat to open up. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but it was still a lot to process and his brain could only take that much. The soft sounds of leaves rustling through the wind and dull sounds of the young people inside enjoying themselves were the only things that broke their silence. Green could barely handle it, but words still couldn’t come out. 

“Look,” Red broke the silence once again, taking one step closer. Green didn’t move. The raven kept his face neutral, but Green could see true emotions shimmer through in little things: hope, mixed with desperation and maybe a little disappointment. Likely the result of Green’s lack of reaction. “Nothing has to change if you don’t want to. I just can’t lie to you. I’ve never been able to lie to you, but this was the one thing I never dared to tell you straight up because I’m afraid of change. I want things to stay the same, but I can’t help my feelings. They’re true, undeniable.”

Another step closer.

“I hid, cowardly, behind texts. It felt like an outlet.” Red took a deep breath. His eyes were still focussed on Green’s, but it seemed like it took all of his bravery to do so. “This was the one thing I couldn’t face head-on and I’m sorry about that.”

Little space was left between the two rivals now.

“I love you. As my best friend. As my rival. As my equal.”

The words struck the Trainer right in his heart, blood rushing through all of his arteries and veins like crazy. Happiness starting buzzing through him. He caught himself thinking that he’d like to hear those words again. 

It felt like his body started moving on his own when he tightly embraced the only slightly shorter boy. Green felt Red’s body paralyse for a second, hesitate, but then clasping his arms around him as well. There it was, the feeling of stability and safety that they had provided each other ever since they became rivals. Things Green needed and wanted.

It was at that moment that he found his voice again, his eyes closed as the words flowed out on their own.

“Let’s go home together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for not to this sooner *sweats* but this was Red's ending!! I have the second ending ready as well, but i'll probably post that at the start of next week to give me some time to get the third ending ready as well :) hope you guys enjoyed it and are satisfied!! (if not, there's still two more endings that could hopefully satisfy you instead ;) )


	3. Differences

Out of his three options, Green expected this outcome to be the least likely. And yet here he was, standing in the doorway, looking at her brown locks partially tied together behind her head and her shimmering blue dress. He couldn’t say he felt disappointed, on the contrary: it peaked his interest. 

Blue was leaning over the edge of the balcony, looking at her mask and carefully touching it. For a second she looked frail, like thin ice that was about to break. It was a rare sight to behold.

“Are you surprised?”

It didn’t sound like she was accusing him or as if she was overly curious: her voice had a serious undertone, but a soft edge. Very unlike her usual mischievous façade.

Blue turned around, finally facing him. The glitters on her face started to sparkle now that her face was illuminated. She was beautiful, as if she came straight out of a fairy tale. Any guy would swoon right on the spot, but Green knew her. Under all that beauty was a strong woman who had been through hell, which was what he saw whenever he looked at her.

“In all honesty, I’m just a little surprised,” Green murmured, shuffling in his place. He hated how she could predict anything. “I expected anyone, really.”

She laughed for a second, then smiled at Green. “You’re brutally honest. It’s one of the things I like about you. I’ve been thinking this over for a while now, but there’s no right way to properly say what goes on inside my head. The texting was just to test out the waters, see if you’d grow suspicious of me. To mess around a little with you, too.”

Blue put the mask down and took a deep breath. Suddenly, Green felt one of his hands being enveloped by a smaller, soft hand. 

“You and me, we never got along as well as we do with the others, do we?” Blue chuckled, as she gently squeezed his hand. “I don’t think it’s a secret that I’ve been a little jealous of you in the past. You had a stable home, a loving family, enough opportunities to exploit yourself as a good person. You didn’t have to prove yourself to be a good candidate as a Dexholder. I didn’t have all that for most of my childhood, was raised as a criminal, stole Blasty from your grandfather. In the end, it did all led me to let go of my past and become someone better due to meeting you and the others. My jealousy soon grew into respect and admiration.”

Green was caught up in the way she spoke, her colored lips moving, her eyes darting around looking for any sign of confirmation from him. He didn’t notice her slowly moving closer.

“And that later grew into love. I know we have a lot of differences standing between us, but don’t you think that makes this an exciting challenge for both of us? I think it’s okay if we can’t accept everything of each other: some traits aren’t worth that. We share a mutual respect and that’s one of the most important things to me.”

Their eyes interlocked again for the first time since she started her monologue. She was determined, hopeful. “Basically, Green, what I’m asking is: are you willing to put our differences aside and see if we can make something beautiful out of this?”

Green couldn’t help but smile a little. This was a side of Blue he liked to see. Her real side. Vulnerable, but brave. An adult Blue, her past behind her, a better woman today than yesterday.

He stepped backwards and tugged at her hand, his smile now widening. He felt warm looking at her, the thrill of a new challenge exciting him.

“Let’s have a dance first, shall we?”


	4. Discoveries

Green’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Yellow waiting for him. She looked a bit out of it at first, not noticing the door opening and ruffling the feathers on her mask that she held in her hands. She seemed to be immersed in her thoughts, but her head snapped up when the  _ click  _ of the door closing broke the silence again. Their eyes met, hers looking brighter than ever. She warmly smiled - the smile Green had was so used to after all these years, but he had never grown accustomed to the fuzzy feeling it gave him.

“I’m glad you came.” Yellow spoke up first, taking the initiative right away. She gently placed her mask on the edge of the balcony, then stepped a bit closer to the man who mentored her all those years ago. Green remembered those days as if it was yesterday and it made him proud to realize how far both of them had come since then in many different aspects.

Green stifled a chuckle, a smile tugging at his lips. “You didn’t leave me much of a choice, I guess.”

Her warm smile broke out in laughter. “Yeah, I’m sorry about all that. But, I’d be happy if you hear me out while you’re here.”

Looking at her while he leaned back to give her space, Green realized she didn’t wear her hair down as often. Her blonde locks came down in waves, shining in the moonlight. Years had gone by, and even if she was still small, she looked more mature now than ever before. She was still looking at him, biting her lip for a second before speaking up.

“I want to start off by saying that taking care of your gym and…  _ you _ , has been my pleasure and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Yellow was still smiling, but her voice grew more serious. Her tone didn’t waver for a second. She sounded confident, not doubting her words at all. “But all I’ve seen of this wide world is Kanto and Johto. I was fine with that, you trusting me enough to leave the gym in my hands meant the world to me. But… I do miss you when you’re gone. Besides that, I too want to see what the rest of the world is like. I’m aching to go on a trip, see where my juniors come from, find out what other cultures are like. I want to discover new things. With  _ you _ , Green.”

He felt taken aback, feeling a little guilty hearing her speak about her wishes. Yellow barely ever spoke up about what she wanted, probably putting other’s wishes first. Green’s guilt morphed into a feeling of relief, hearing her speak up for herself. The idea of having her accompany him sounded alluring. There were many things he wanted to show her, too.

“There’s just one thing left that I wanted to tell you, but I think you’ve already gathered as much,” the Healer continued once again, stepping a bit closer. Green felt as if his temperature was skyrocketing and held his breath. Then, she bluntly dropped the bomb. “I’m in love with you. So let’s travel the world together next time.”

Green’s hands softly cupped her cheeks as he closed in, pressing a kiss onto her forehead before he started whispering.

“Let’s leave tomorrow, then. The world and I will be waiting for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh sorry for the last ending taking literally ages but here we finally go!! and thus this fic is finally concluded :) i hope you guys enjoyed the initial fic and the alternative endings, big shout out to Cap for proofreading all this and helping my out when i was being a dummy, check out her fics as well!!
> 
> cya o/

**Author's Note:**

> stay tuned for alternative ending chapters of each possibility ;)


End file.
